Cultural expectations affect autism diagnosis in a global context

A November feature in Nature portrays the need for diverse diagnostic approaches for autism in a culturally diverse world.

NeuroDevNet Knowledge Translation Manager Dr. Mayada Elsabbagh is among the international roster of researchers interviewed regarding the complexities of diagnosing autism. In "Culture: Diverse Diagnostics" author Sarah DeWeerdt chronicles the profound role culturally based expectations have on when, and if, a child is diagnosed with autism.

“We know that autism is diagnosable and observable across cultures,” says Mayada Elsabbagh, a researcher at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, who is leading a group within the International Society for Autism Research on cross-cultural issues. “But the exact details of how different cultures or settings modify autism is unknown,” she says.